One black and white photograph depicting a portrait of Mayor Friel, he is sitting in his mayoral chair looking out at the viewer. He is wearing a black coat, black pants and his chain of office.
Made/Created
Date made
1854
Notes
Support: paper
Paper, Photographic, Photography, Photography
Inscription/Signature/Marks
Transcription
"Henry J. Friel Mayor of Bytown 1854 Husband of Mary Ann By O'Connor, first white child born in Bytown."
Notes
Written on the back of the photograph.
Transcription
"Lancefield's Studio, 81 Sparks St."
Transcription
"1756".
Notes
Written on a white label with a red border.
Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
Positive, Direct
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
Photograph
Nomenclature Sub-Class
Graphic Documents
Nomenclature Class
Documentary Objects
Nomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication Objects
Search Terms
Photograph, Photograph, Communication T& E
Legacy Lexicon
Object Name
Photograph
Dimensions
Height
27 cm
Width
23.8 cm
Depth
2.7 cm
Research Notes
Notes
Henry James Friel was the last mayor of Bytown in 1854 and served 3 terms as mayor of Ottawa in the 1860s.
Friel was born in 1823 in Montreal and moved to Bytown with his family in 1827 where his father operated a general store. He began his career as a journalist and writer for "Bytown Gazette" and "Literary Garland" in Montreal. Along with John George Bell, Friel purchased the "Bytown Packet" newspaper in 1846 (which would go on to become the "Ottawa Citizen").
In addition to journalism, Friel was also a founding member of the Bytown Mechanics' Institute and a member of the Council of the Ottawa Board of Trade among other social activities.
His political career began in 1847 when he was elected to Bytown's first town council, he lost the election in 1848 but would become a school trustee in 1849. He was involved in several political disputes in Bytown history, including the Stony Monday Riots in September 1849, where he was arrested.
In 1849, Friel sold the "Bytown Packet" to Robert Bell to allow him to focus more on his political career. He was elected alderman for Bytown's East Ward in 1850, 1853, and 1854 before being chosen for mayor that same year.
He went on to be Mayor of Ottawa three times and served as alderman in Ottawa from 1855 to 1858, 1864, 1865, and 1867. During his last term as mayor in 1869 he died from a severe cold. Due to his length and commitment of service to the city, he was given a grand state funeral and was buried in the former Catholic Cemetery at Sandy Hill (later moved to today's Notre Dame Cemetery).
